


caught and sang the sun

by xfrancesca



Category: Spartacus: Vengeance
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Death, M/M, Memories, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-03
Updated: 2012-07-03
Packaged: 2017-11-09 02:55:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xfrancesca/pseuds/xfrancesca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agron watches the stars and remembers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	caught and sang the sun

The night sky was stunning. Small pinpricks of light shone through the abyss and brought a smile to Agron's face.

 

He was vaguely aware of a pain in his midsection, blooming like a flower and wrapping around his spine and limbs like vines. He thought he should be cursing, screaming, crying, but all the while he couldn't stop _smiling_.

 

His mind drifted; images floating before his eyes like a dream, hazy yet almost tangible.

 

When the image of Nasir appeared before his minds eye, he felt that same flutter in his chest and heat in his face that he experienced every time. Agron remembered being inexplicably drawn to Nasir, even when he still went by that Roman name. Nasir was but a child back then, small and unsure, willing to kill Spartacus for taking away the only home and place he knew.

 

It was astonishing to see how far he'd come. He had redeemed himself that night and many nights after that, proving that he had a heart that Agron himself had lost since his brother died. Nasir had morals. He was loyal, he was courageous, and he would sacrifice his life for the greater good.

 

Agron guessed it was only fitting that he ended up with the rebellion. Perhaps it was fate.

 

His eyes were unfocused, and dots of light began to sway before him, dancing to a rhythm that escaped Agron.

 

_This time you stay, and I go._

 

When he finally pressed his lips to Nasir's for the first time, it was as if he saw things clearly. His world shifted and brightened, his chest felt lighter. He felt more focused than ever, except that it wasn't vengeance that spurred him on any longer.

 

In the dark, he confessed to himself that knowing Nasir's support was what impelled him when they burned down the arena. While he fought, the thought on the forefront of his mind was that of going back to Nasir. Kissing him again and enveloping him in his arms, holding him closely and giving himself to Nasir in a way he never had before. That thought kept him fighting, kept him from falling.

 

Nasir had unknowingly saved Agron's life.

 

He remembered a time after they defeated Glaber and his forces. The rebels walked for what seemed like an eternity, finally settling down in a spot where the trees hid them from view.

 

There was a river there as well, nothing too large, but it gave them fresh water and a place to bathe.

 

One night Agron walked out to the river, intent on sitting down and listened to the sound of water running over the cool, smooth stones, when he saw Nasir. He was nude, bathed in moonlight, water reaching his hips. He turned towards Agron and Agron had smiled, felt a surge of love and lust and too many other things all at once.

 

“ _Join me_ ,” Nasir said. So Agron did.

 

The water was warm but Nasir was warmer. They fit together perfectly. Agron rested a hand on Nasir's shoulder and another on the back of his neck, and Nasir looked up at him, eyes bright and young and trusting, and Agron made a silent promise to Nasir.  _No one will ever hurt you_ . They kissed, lips meeting with the ease of a well-known action and reminding Agron, strangely enough, of home. A place where he was comfortable to be who he was, where he could live and love and it would all matter in the end. Nasir tasted sweet, reminiscent of the fruit that they had gathered earlier that day. It suited him well.

 

Nasir splashed Agron's face with water and Agron was startled with the joy in his own laughter. For a while his laughter had been insincere, either faked or dripping with bitterness that coated his tongue and mind. He only found delight in bringing death to others, but he soon found it in an even greater abundance from simpler things. Making Nasir laugh, seeing him smile, hearing him breathe steadily at night, feeling the warmth of his skin, the quiver in his muscles when they made love. That was what brought Agron true solace.

 

_You and I shall be together, in this life and the next._

 

When Agron said those words, he knew he meant them. He knew it was true. Nasir had smiled and the corners of his lips twitched, as if unsure if he should smile or speak. Their foreheads rested together and Agron didn't even register the tear that slid down his own face until Nasir brushed it away with his thumb. The fact hung heavy in the air, not as a burden but as a glorious truth, bringing them warmth and comfort.

 

They would die fighting the Romans, that was true. It would have been preferable to ignore the possibility, but they never quite liked the easy way out.

 

Death would not keep them apart, and that was what mattered.

 

Agron was still smiling when he began to notice the world around him again. His midsection was searing, white-hot pain, and when he brought his hand up to his face, saw that it was covered in blood. The noises around him came rushing at him, attacking his senses. He smelled smoke and heard screams and suddenly the stars weren't so bright and interesting. The ground underneath him spun and spun until Agron had to close to his eyes to focus. He had been stabbed by a Roman. He realized that this would be his end, and in a way he knew it all along.

 

That's when he heard him.

 

“ _Agron!”_

 

His eyelids were heavy. His entire body was heavy, the weight of everything resting atop his chest. He didn't want to move. The searing pain turned into a warmth that bathed him. It wasn't all that bad. Perhaps if he could rest on the slightly damp ground, he would eventually be able to gather his strength back.

 

“ _Agron, I beg of you. Open your eyes.”_

 

He felt a hand on the back of his neck, holding his head up just slightly. He breathed in the cool air, long and greedy, and opened his eyes.

 

Nasir's hair was disheveled and he was covered in what was sure to be blood, but his eyes were the worst, hurt radiating from them. At the sight of Agron looking up at him, fear and confusion turned into mild relief. His features relaxed and the crinkle in between his eyebrows disappeared. There had been many times when Agron kissed that very spot. Seeing the younger man's face again was soothing. For a while there he thought he would spend his last moments alone.

 

He pulled Agron close to his body and Agron smiled again. How could he forget how it felt to have Nasir's arms around him? He painstakingly picked his lead-heavy arm up and pressed his hand against the skin of Nasir's chest. He watched it rise and fall, but it wasn't the same steady breathing as when they were in their bedroll in night, giving in to sleep after a long, weary day. His breath was quick now, uneven, and Agron could swear he felt the fast beat of his heart rattling inside Nasir's chest.

 

Agron looked up again, Nasir was smiling weakly.

 

“ _You are well.”_ But his voice quivered. Unsure. 

 

“ _Just stay here, Agron. I will help you. Do not close your eyes again.”_

 

His voice was distant, as if he were speaking the words from hundreds of miles away and it took Agron centuries for the sound of Nasir's voice to reach his ears. He kept his eyes fixed on Nasir, never straying.

 

Nasir's hand was on the side of Agron's face, gently caressing. There was a war going on around them. As far as they knew, all of their friends were either dead or dying. Agron should pick up a sword. He wanted to go back and fight but all he could do was breathe again, shallower this time, and his fingers twitched.

 

Nasir shushed him, held him tighter.

 

He looked back up at the sky and wondered if it had changed in all its years. It seemed infinite, unmoving.

 

 

Agron looked at Nasir once more.

 

The water flowed easily around their bodies. Nasir tasted like sun and sweat and sweetness. His touches were gentle yet sure, strong in their confidence. The sounds of the rebels talking and laughing at the camp could be heard in the distance. The fire could be seen as well, gentle and flickering.

 

_Perhaps we should go back,_ Nasir said. Agron shook his head, held him closer. Their lips met again.

 

_Just a while longer,_ Agron said softly, breath ghosting over Nasir's lips.

 

They didn't have to leave. The water was warm and the moon shone brightly, and Agron felt complete.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Dylan Thomas' poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
> 
> Just a little something since I haven't written in a while. Gotta flex my writing muscle sometime.  
> I also write way too much deathfic I'm so sorry.


End file.
